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Towards the end of April, when I was focusing a lot on my health and on being fit both physically and mentally, I decided to try going vegan for a while. No, it had nothing to do with trying to be cool or following a fad. I have terrible skin and I had heard that dairy aggravates it, so I wanted to check if not having dairy would help my skin or not. Before I got married, I was a hardcore non-vegetarian, as we always used to have some meat cooked at home on a daily basis. When I fell in love with a pure vegetarian and later married him, my consumption of meat reduced to a great extent. Did it trouble me? Honestly, no. While I couldn't cook meat at home, I used to eat it out, as and when I felt like. The thought of giving up meat never occurred to me even once. But, when I decided to give up dairy, I thought why not give up meat as well. The idea was to try this diet for the month of May and if it works out well, continue it for the next couple of months. If it helped me out, I planned to go vegan full time from my birthday in August. Here's how I fared.
For those who aren't aware of how veganism works, a vegan diet is about eliminating all animal sourced products from your diet. Yes, that means not only will you be giving up on meat, you will also have to bid goodbye to milk, curd, butter, cream, cheese, ghee and all other products that use these as ingredients. Ice-cream, mayo, salad dressings etc. The thing with me is that, once I make up my mind to do something, I actually end up doing it. I stayed away from all animal products for a whole month. While meat wasn't very tough to give up, since my frequency of eating it was drastically reduced, the challenge was to give up curd. I'm a sucker for yogurt in every form and every lunch for me ends with butter milk. This is what I found hard to give up. Still, I persisted. Since I'm battling PCOD for years now, I have no control on acne and hair loss. If you suffer from PCOD it becomes thrice as tough to lose weight. But, this vegan diet seemed to be working for me. In about two weeks, the texture of my skin improved and I was having fewer breakouts. Hair loss reduced as well and I was feeling light within myself. While I did knock off a couple of kilos, what mattered to me was that I was looking and feeling toned and fit.
Since most of the junk food incorporates animal products, like ice-cream and pizza, I stayed away from it too. I used to prepare fresh healthy meals at home and pack my lunch box with lunch and evening snacks so that I do not go hungry later in the day. I replaced milk with coconut milk or almond milk for my muesli and oats. It was so easy to make at home and I found it to be delicious as well. Safe to say, I was not missing the milk at all. It was all working like a charm. I was almost getting through May and I was convinced that I could follow this diet for a long time. Then, I got my period. I usually have a fuss free period with little or no cramps and discomfort. My schedule doesn't change while I'm on my period and I workout during them too. But this time, it was not the same. While there were no cramps and discomfort, I felt terribly drained out! By evening, I was losing all my energy and felt weak. I attributed all this to the period and not my diet. I thought, maybe after close to 20 years of menstruation, it was finally coming to bite me in the wrong place.
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May soon ended and I was thrilled with having stuck to the vegan diet. I did not crave meat or dairy anymore. I was very happy with my diet of fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts! I had found a new love for prunes and pumpkin seeds and they were my go to snacks. As June began, my weakness continued. Day after day, I was feeling more and more tired. Soon, I was having mood swings. Work was at full force during this time and I couldn't afford to lose focus. My body got weaker by the day and one fine day after a long conversation with my husband, I decided that this probably could be because of the vegan diet I was following. May was over and I had succeeded in my challenge. June was looming and I wanted to continue the challenge, but my body being deprived of meat and dairy had other plans. I had no choice but to go back to my original diet. The one that was rich in meat and dairy.
Trust me it was not easy to get back to eating meat and dairy. The first time I tasted ice-cream after more than a month, I just did not like it. It felt sugary and icky! When I ate a chicken steak after a whole month of trying veganism, it ruined my body. I was having stomach problems and felt queasy. In short, anything I wanted to put in my body was now troubling me. Having had enough, I sat down and charted out a diet plan for myself. This time I did not omit the meat and the dairy, but included them in small portions. Then, my body got used to what it was always used to. Sadly, my skin continued to go bad and hair fall returned, but it was a small price to pay for good health. Hopefully, over time, with the right diet and exercise, I shall kick out PCOD for good and get rid of all the side effects associated with it.
Veganism is a good concept. It is very healthy and it sure is for a noble cause. What I learnt from my tryst with veganism, was to never shock my body by depriving it of what it was used to. I usually am not a person who decides on a form of diet, but this time I did it on an impulse and learnt my lesson. While I eat everything in moderation now, I would like to give up dairy one day. Mainly, to improve my skin. But I'll do it gradually. Veganism sure is a healthy concept when done right. There are so many recipes available online for vegan dishes and they are so simple to make and taste delicious as well. I have tried quite a few of them in terms of salads, soups and one bowl dinners and they tasted divine. You will not feel like you are missing out on something. Sadly, it did not work that way for my body.
For now, the idea is to eat everything in moderation, work out regularly and stay healthy. Everything else can take a backseat.
